The Stranger in the Hoarding House by Joe Aruku

[reviews_and_ramblings]

 

After a traumatic incident at work, Kamakura locked himself away and let the trash pile up around him, resigned to his fate as a hikikomori... That is, until the day Katsuyoshi climbed in through his balcony.

At their landlord's behest, Katsuyoshi offers to help Kamakura clean his apartment, insisting that Kamakura stay with him in the meantime. Kamakura reluctantly agrees, wondering why Katsuyoshi would offer to help out a complete stranger. Turns out, Katsuyoshi has his own reasons— and his own trauma— to work through.

As they tidy together, the pair open up to each other and slowly begin to heal in this sweet slice-of-life romance about moving forward, one trash bag at a time...

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/3JFEEYj)